General Awareness

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - December 2018

Dec 2018

Jan 25, 2022

India among Top 10 AI Adopters

India is among the top 10 nations in the world in terms of technological advancements and funding in artificial intelligence, according to findings from a study published by The Brookings Institution. While India is outside the top 10 in terms of commercial and research initiatives, it ranks sixth in terms of spending and investments on AI made by public, governmental initiatives, as well as private institutes and organisations.
The nations leading AI achievements ahead of India are the US, China, the UK, France, Japan and Germany. Canada, South Korea and Italy are behind India in the top 10 AI adopters list, as per the study.

Hubble Spots Beautiful Trio of Galaxies

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captured an image of a group of three galaxies, collectively known as NGC 7764A.
NGC 7764A is a fascinating example of just how awkward astronomical nomenclature can be.
The three galaxies are individually referred to as NGC 7764A1, NGC 7764A2 and NGC 7764A3, and just to be really difficult, an entirely separate galaxy, named NGC 7764, sits in the skies about a Moon's distance (as seen from Earth) away.
NGC 7764A is located approximately 425 million light-years away in the constellation of Phoenix. NGC 7764A is located approximately 425 million light-years away in the constellation of Phoenix.

Jan 23, 2022

Researchers Create Deep-Ultraviolet Light-Emitting Diode

A team of researchers from the Pohang University of Science and Technology and the Korean Institute for Basic Science has demonstrated deep-ultraviolet (DUV) electroluminescence and photocurrent generation in hexagonal boron nitride, a semiconductor often called the 'white graphene.'
Among UV lights, the near-UV light has high penetration depth and can cause diseases when the skin is exposed to it.
However, DUV light (200-280 nm) has extremely low skin penetrability and is anticipated to be safely used.
For this reason, research to develop DUV LEDs has been active, mainly using aluminum gallium nitride (AlxGa1-xN).
However, this material has a fundamental limitation in that its electroluminescence rapidly deteriorates as the wavelength becomes shorter and fabricating LEDs that can be used in the DUV frequencies remains a challenge.

Jan 22, 2022

Saturn's Moon Mimas Hosts Global Ocean, New Study Suggests

According to a new analysis of data from NASA's Cassini mission, Mimas, the smallest and innermost of Saturn's eight main moons, may be warm enough to harbor a global, liquid water ocean beneath a 24-31-km (15-19-mile) thick ice shell.
One of the most profound discoveries in planetary science over the past 25 years is that worlds with oceans beneath layers of rock and ice are common in our Solar System.
Such worlds include the icy satellites of the giant planets, such as Europa, Titan and Enceladus, as well as distant planets like Pluto.
Worlds like Earth with surface oceans must reside within a narrow range of distances from their stars to maintain the temperatures that support liquid oceans.
Interior water ocean worlds, however, are found over a much wider range of distances, greatly expanding the number of habitable worlds likely to exist across the galaxy.

Monster Black Hole Spotted 'Giving Birth' to Stars

Astronomers spotted a black hole "giving birth" to stars at the center of a nearby dwarf galaxy — and the stellar newborns are tethered to the black hole by a massive "umbilical cord" made of gas and dust.
The supermassive black hole, situated roughly 34 million light-years away in the galaxy Henize 2-10, was seen spewing an enormous, 500-light-year-long jet of ionized gas from its center at around 1 million mph (1.6 million km/h), contributing to a "firestorm" of new star formation in a nearby stellar nursery.
The discovery, made using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, is the first time a black hole in a dwarf galaxy (a galaxy with 1 billion or fewer stars) was seen birthing stars.

Jan 21, 2022

Yutu-2 Lunar Rover Finds Sticky Soil on the Far side of the Moon

The first rover to visit the far side of the moon, China's Yutu-2, has found stark differences between there and the near side. These include stickier, more supportive soil on the far side and a greater abundance of small rocks and impact craters.
Despite several exploratory missions to the moon, crewed and uncrewed, the moon's far side has remained unexplored because of difficulties communicating with Earth from there. But in 2019, China's Chang'e 4 mission deposited the Yutu-2 rover to roam the far side's surface.

Jan 19, 2022

South Africa Launches 1st 'Made In Africa' Satellites

South Africa launched its first satellite constellation developed entirely in the continent of Africa. Three locally produced nanosatellites, which made up the country's first Maritime Domain Awareness Satellite (MDASat) constellation, were launched from Cape Canaveral in the United States, as part of American aerospace company SpaceX's Transporter-3 mission.
Transporter-3, SpaceX's third dedicated rideshare mission, carried a total of 105 spacecraft for various organisations and governments, including CubeSats, microsats, PocketQubes and orbital transfer vehicles.

Share on

TCY Analytics (View Subscription Plans)

Subscribe to GK Updates

I want to receive

GK Tags

August GK, July GK, June GK, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, ENVIRONMENT, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, SPORTS, NATIONAL AFFAIRS, DEFENCE, PERSONS IN NEWS, DAYS AND EVENTS, AWARDS AND HONOURS, GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES, GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION, ART AND CULTURE, BOOKS AND AUTHORS, TOURISM AND HOTEL INDUSTRY AWARENESS, ART AND CULTURE, LAW AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Start Discussion

On any topic

Take Tests

Compiled from GK updates

Login

Sign Up

Forgot Password

Download TCY App

Unlock All Services And Enjoy The Premium Benefits

US$ 10

US$ 13

US$ 15

US$ 17

US$ 19

US$ 20

US$ 21

US$ 22

US$ 23

US$ 24

US$ 25

US$ 26